Literature: Junot Diaz's "Drown"

Our fiction piece is another coming of age story by Dominican-American writer Junot Diaz: Drown.  It tells the story of a Dominican teenager growing up in New Jersey with his mother, working as a drug dealer and avoiding his best friend visiting home from college.

Remember to use your  Vocabulary Study Tracker as you read.

As you read, trace the relationships Yunior has with other people.

How would you describe his relationship with his mother?

What is his relationship with his father?

What is his relationship with Beto?

How is his relationship with his neighbors and neighborhood?

Then, I ask that you consider the title.  Can you find scenes of drowning in the story?

Why is the story called Drown?

Who is drowning?

What is the person/are the people drowning in?

Lastly, do you think Yunior has come of age in this story?  Why or why not?

Essay Writing: Writing with Strong Opinion

WRITING WITH A STRONG OPINION

That nations in the world should adopt a policy of “open borders”—meaning that people would be free to move to a different country to find work—is an idea that some economists have advocated as a way to end global poverty.  They argue that, “Workers in rich countries earn more than those in poor countries partly because they are better educated but mostly because they live in societies that have, over many years, developed institutions that foster prosperity and peace. It is very hard to transfer Canadian institutions to Cambodia, but quite straightforward for a Cambodian family to fly to Canada. The quickest way to eliminate absolute poverty would be to allow people to leave the places where it persists.” Many fiercely reject open borders on the grounds that it would bring overpopulation, economic instability, crime and terrorism to more developed nations.

Write a body paragraph explaining your STRONG opinion about whether you think a policy of open borders should be adopted globally. Do you think this would be helpful, or will it lead to problems? Why?

In your paragraph, be sure to:

●      use at least 3 opinion words: support (verb), advocate (verb or noun), proponent (noun), oppose (verb), opponent (noun), criticize (verb), reject (verb), denounce (verb)

●      use other strong words and evidence to support your ideas

●      include at least 2 transitional words:

addition: In addition/ Additionally, Moreover, Furthermore, Also,

cause and effect: Therefore, As a result, Consequently, Thus, Due to this

similarity: Similarly, Likewise, By the same token, In the same way, Equally important,

contrast: However, In contrast, On the other hand, Yet, Still, On the contrary, Nevertheless, Even so, That said, Notwithstanding,

●      fill an entire page

Essay Writing: Connections Practice

So we've talked about how CATW body paragraphs should end with a connection sentence, connecting your example back to the SI.  More generally, body paragraphs should end with interpretation or analysis of what was discussed in the paragraph that ties it all together to your thesis, to the claim you've been trying to make in your essay.

To practice connections, read this CATW article: Spanking kids can cause long-term harm: Canada study

Then, complete this Connection Activity with some sample body paragraphs.

Free write: The size of you

Our free-write today is a quote from Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet.  It's a book that is a little bit like Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, where a narrator kind of discusses himself and reflects on what happens to him.  Pessoa called it a "factless autobiography"--take that how you will. Anyway, take 5 minutes to think about this quote with your pen, writing (WITHOUT STOPPING) on what you feel it means and maybe how you identify with it it or don't identify with it.

I am equal in size to whatever I see
Not hemmed in by the size I am.

 By the way, if you're interested in sharing your free-writes, you can type them into the comments section or you can email them to me for an audience of one.

Free Write: Writing a memory away

This free-write is kind of more of a writing exercise based on a quote from Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground (this translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky). The Underground man is the narrator in this novel that is written as a sort of personal journal of sorts.  Here the Underground man is wondering why he writes his thoughts rather than just thinking them to himself.

Here is the quote:

[M]aybe I will indeed get relief from the writing. Today, for example, I'm particularly oppressed by one distant recollection. I recalled it clearly the other day, and it has since stayed with me like a nagging musical tune that refuses to be gotten rid of. And yet one must get rid of it. I have hundreds of such recollections; but some one out of a hundred emerges every now and then and oppresses me. I believe for some reason that if I write it down, I shall then be rid of it. So why not try? Finally: I'm bored, and I constantly do nothing. And writing things down really seems like work. They say work makes a man good and honest. Well, here's a chance, at least.

So try a five minute free-write doing one of two things:

1) Reflect on why you might write your thoughts and experiences down.  What value might it have for you?

OR

2) Is there a memory that you kind of want to get rid of?  Try writing it down and reflecting on it.  Then crumble it up and throw it away.

Fiction: Sherman Alexie's "This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona"

This is a really nice story--you might even find that it's a coming of age story.  Over the next week or so, I encourage you to keep your fiction reading practices in shape by reading and annotating this story---oh, but remember, background helps.  This story deals with Native American characters living on a reservation.  It would be good to get some background on reservations.  Check out this link:

Background on Indian Reservations

Remember also to track vocabulary words that you're learning.  You can do so with this

Vocabulary Study Tracker

As you read an annotate the following story, review the questions at the end which are an abbreviated version of a discussion journal, and will help you to write literary analysis paragraphs to build an interpretation for the story.  You are welcome to email me your work for feedback.

Story: This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

Grammar: Capitalization

Capitalization

The following rules tell you what words to capitalize and not capitalize. Knowing the rules will also help you edit your essay.

People
Always capitalize the names of people.

• I think Harrison Ford is in that movie.
• My girlfriend introduced me to her friend Maria.

Capitalize titles, like doctor, professor, and judge, when they refer to a specific person. Don’t capitalize those words when they refer only to an occupation.

• He was sentenced to five months’ probation by Judge Karen Wilcke.
• The course was taught by Professor Johnson.
• When I was a kid, I thought I’d be a doctor, but I became a professor instead.

Capitalize family relationships only when they are used as part of a person’s title.

• Sarah’s Aunt Trudy bought her the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen.
• My mother is named Nancy Barker.

Capitalize the names of political, racial, social, national, civic, and athletic groups.

• The local Red Cross is holding a blood drive today.
• I love to watch the Chicago White Sox play baseball.
• This university has a high population of Asian-American students.

Places
Always capitalize the names of specific places: cities, countries, geographic regions, street names, schools and universities, and landmarks.

• She is originally from Cairo, Illinois, but now she’s living in New York City.
• On my vacation next week, I’ll get to see Mount Rushmore.
• This flight will be my first time flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
• When we were kids, we played basketball on Arbor Street.
• I’m taking classes right now at Heartland Community College, but I will transfer to Illinois State next year.

Capitalize words that are derived from the names of places, including languages.

• My favorite Italian city is Florence.
• Celine Dion is my favorite Canadian singer.
• Spanish was my first language.

Do not capitalize directions or other general geographical words.

• The mall is just a little bit south of here.
• I think I would enjoy living in the desert.
• The state is cracking down on drunk drivers.

Dates and Events
Always capitalize names of months, days of the week, and holidays.

• I was sick for nearly the entire month of November.
• Jamie isn’t available on Tuesday, so we’ll need to schedule the meeting for Wednesday.
• My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, but Valentine’s Day is a close second.

Capitalize the names of historic events.

• My research paper is about the Vietnam War.
• We will study the Great Depression during this unit.

Do not capitalize the names of seasons, unless the season is part of a title.

• I love fall because of crisp, cool air.
• We are going to bike a lot during summer vacation.
• I am taking my last two classes during the Fall 2008 semester.

Titles of Works
Always capitalize the titles of articles, books, magazines, songs, albums, television shows, plays, etc.

• This month’s Rolling Stone had a really interesting article on punk music.
• The song “No Excuses” is the best grunge song ever.

Capitalize the brand names of specific products.

• I love Pepsi, but I absolutely hate Mountain Dew.
• My first car was a Chevy Cavalier.

Don’t capitalize short prepositions or articles (the, an, of, etc.) if they aren’t the first word of the title.

• The best Shakespeare play, I think, is Romeo and Juliet.
• I’m tired today because I stayed up all night watching The Office.
• My favorite book is definitely The Catcher in the Rye.

Do not capitalize the general names of products.

• I sort of feel like pizza tonight, but I could go for burgers and fries instead.
• It would be nice to have a convertible, but it’s too cold for it here in North Dakota.

CAPITALIZATION EXERCISE: Correct the capitalization mistakes in these sentences—if there are any.

1. early in 1996, I was asked to light the cauldron at the summer olympic games in atlanta, georgia.

2. In egypt’s tahrir square, coptic christians mingle with devout muslims.

3. Two in three americans are obese or overweight, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

4. Every christmas season, I painted the baskin-robbins windows with Winter scenes—and got paid in Ice Cream.

5. My Mother would bring out her old singer sewing machine, study pictures in magazines, then make Ethnic versions of those same dolls and stuffed animals to sell at Church fundraisers.

6. I believe that happy children are those given the Freedom to be expressive.

7. I left honduras and arrived in the u.s. at the age of 15.

Type your answer in the comments section for feedback.